Action zoom lens

[calilove27]

I have a Rebel T3i and I go to a lot of sports games, so I need some suggestions for action/zoom lens. I'm obviously not a professional photographer haha (: so I have to scratch off those large telefoto lens that the professional photographers use at games.

[cale_kat]

Well the OP said he/she was interested in buying a lens. I advise him to skip on those without stabilizer/vibration control and get one with this extremely good feature for hand-held shooting, especially with a telephoto lens.

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@Skirball wrote:

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@cale_kat wrote:

Don't pass on vibration/stabilizer control. Most people that shoot hand-held come to appreciate shake control.

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There's not much you can do, when the lens you're using doesn't have IS.  There are a lot of exceptionally fantastic lenses out there that don't have IS, I'm not going to not use them because of it.

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[TCampbell]

It's not that the professional photographers WANT to spend all that money on those high-end lenses... but there are attributes which set those lenses above the others.

The f-stop describes the size of the opening in the lens (the physical aperture) relative to the length of the lens.  The larger this opening is (the smaller the ratio) the more light the lens can collect when the shutter is open (and as a side-effect... it also produces a shallower depth of field ... that's the range of distances at which a subject will appear to be more-or-less in acceptable focus.)

If these are outdoor games played in mid-day... lots of sunlight, then any telephoto lens will do.  For fast moving subjects its always nice to have fast moving focus motors (Canon's "USM" motors are the fastest, followed by the "STM" motors... the lenses which don't indicate "USM" or "STM" are the slowest.)

However... if you are shooting either indoor games or outdoor night games played under artificial lighting then collecting enough light to allow for a fast shutter speed can be a real challenge.  To address that, low focal-ratio zoom lenses are ideal (e.g. f/2.8 zooms lenses) but these lenses aren't cheap.  To create a low focal ratio means that the diameter of clear aperture has to be large as compared to the focal length.  That means that each lens element must be physically bigger than it would be in a typical lens.  This creates a problem because large lens elements work like prisms near their edges in that they try to split light into their constituent "rainbow" wavelengths.  To combat that issue (which they refer to as "chromatic abberateion" or "color fringing") they have to create extra corrective elements.  That means these lenses are not just bigger and wider, but also have more physical glass in them and are more difficult to make.  This results in a more expensive lens.

The professional sports photographers would much rather buy inexpensive lenses... if only they could get away with it.  

If your'e shooting ourdoor games... the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM may do the trick.  If shooting in less favorable lighting (indoor games) then the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM II is certainly a fantastic (but not cheap) lens.  The EF 70-200mm f/4L USM is a MUCH less expensive alternative but it's 1 stop slower (it collects half the light when the shutter is open).  For outdoor games a longer focal length is desirable... usually around 300mm.

[trulandphoto]

I'm going to suggest the EF 200mm f/2.8L. It's less than 6", black so it doesn't draw a lot of attention and it's very sharp. 

[Skirball]

Is the 200 really less than 6"?  I felt like it was longer than that in my memory.  It's a great lens.

[trulandphoto]

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@Skirball wrote:

Is the 200 really less than 6"?  I felt like it was longer than that in my memory.  It's a great lens.

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Yes, I did look it up as I no longer own one. Canon lists it as 3.3" wide and 5.4" long. 

I migrated from this lens to a 70-200 f/4 to a 70-200 f/2.8 to the 70-200 f/2.8 IS II.

[Skirball]

Interesting.  I used one this weekend, and while I didn't pull out the tape measure I'd swear it was longer than that.  I assume they don't include the mount for the length.

That's quite a migration pathway, but I'd guess you've reached the end of that, for some time anyway.  I enjoyed using the 200/2.8, but I have to say I sure missed the IS when shooting with flash at 1/160.  I definately lost some shots due to camera shake.  The 70-200 f/2.8 IS II would have been nice to have.

[amfoto1]

Your two best options have been given...

Low cost: 55-250 STM IS.

Higher cost: 70-300 DO IS USM.

Both these are black, not "Canon white" which attracts more attention, a lot of venues immediately label as "pro" gear and try to reject.

You'll want a zoom for the versatility, but are very limited by size. Some of the prime lenses suggested are quite good and might offer larger apertures for low light shooting, but will be very limiting and will require you to move around a lot to get shots of various places on the field.

250mm or even 300mm is better than anything shorter, but still isn't going to be enough reach for some situations shooting baseball. 400mm and even 500mm can be useful. But I'm afraid it's the most you are going to get with, since the lens is limited to no longer than 6". (NOte: Be sure to remove or reverse your lens hood when entering, so it's not counted by the folks eyeballing your lens.)

These two zooms will be fine for day games, and might be okay at night if the lighting is strong (pro park quality). But may struggle at night in weaker lighting (such as is common at high school and municipal parks). Unfortunately, size again is the constraining factor. Any big aperture lens is going to be too large to sneak in.

The USM lens will likely do better achieving focus on lower light, than the STM will do. But I believe you will get the best results tracking moving subjects if you set your camera to use only the center AF point, then work at keeping that right on the subject you want in focus. Definitely set the camera to AI Servo, half-press the shutter release button to start focus well in advance and keep AF active continuously while tracking, then take your shot(s) by fully pressing the shutter release.

You also might want to experiment with Back Button Focusing, which is a popular technique among sports/action photographers in particular.

***********
Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM 

[Bingo]

http://www.blucherphotography.com/Sports/Giants-v-Broncos-2013/i-pK84DsN

(The above link takes you to the bottom of my page instead of the top, scroll up)

I used the 70-300 DO IS USM for the above link. I sit 17 rows from the field. You'll see I shot close to my endzone as well as the far endzone.

I rented this lens specifically for the 6 inch rule at most stadiums.

 I have a 7D

[ebiggs1]

Pretty nice if it were not for that © right in the middle of the picture!  

[cale_kat]

... and Bingo was his name oh.